Capital Police on Friday arrested a 29-year-old man for allegedly cheating job aspirants out of more than Rs 1 lakh by falsely promising them Junior Clerk positions in the Odisha Works Department at Nirman Soudha.
The accused has been identified as Bikash Kumar Behera, a resident of Palashpur under the Chandaka police limits in the Khordha district.
According to police sources, Bikash leveraged his late father’s legacy as a former employee at Nirman Soudha to build trust with unsuspecting job seekers. Possessing thorough inside knowledge about the department’s layout and staff operations, he targeted the complainant, J.M.S. Biplab, and his friend, G. Khetra Mohan.
Promising them government employment as Junior Clerks, Bikash initially collected Rs 5,000 via a UPI transaction under the guise of “processing fees.” He later met the duo near Nirman Soudha in the Capital Police Station area and collected Rs 50,000 in cash from each candidate, taking the total swindled amount to over Rs 1 Lakh.
After receiving the money, Bikash repeatedly offered false assurances while failing to secure the promised jobs. When the victims realized they were being misled and demanded a refund, the accused switched off his mobile phone, cut off contact, and flatly refused to return the money.
Following a complaint, Capital Police launched an investigation under Case No. 683 (Aug 31, 2026). Investigating officers tracked digital evidence, including online UPI transaction records, and gathered crucial bank statements.
Bikash was intercepted on the morning of Oct 9. Following a confession based on the gathered evidence, he was arrested and forwarded to court. Police confirmed that further investigation into the case is ongoing to determine if additional victims were targeted.
